Lack of respect for Diamondbacks continues as team prepares to face Brewers in NLDS

by Nick Piecoro - Sept. 30, 2011 06:49 PMThe Arizona Republic

MILWAUKEE - Just inside the doors to the visiting clubhouse on Friday afternoon, a newspaper that had been marked with red ink was taped to a dry-erase board. The No. 8 had been circled in red what looked like a dozen times.

It was a national newspaper's ranking of baseball's eight playoff teams, and you'll never guess where the overachieving Diamondbacks came in. Dead last.

"Perfect," shortstop Willie Bloomquist said. "I love it that way. Shoot, why even show up then, I guess?"

The Diamondbacks will play their first postseason game in four years Saturday, facing the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series, and they'll do so with the soft bigotry of low expectations. At least from the outside.

USA Today was the culprit taped to the clubhouse wall, but it just as easily could have been a printout from ESPN.com, where 22 writers and editors made postseason predictions Friday morning. All but two picked the Brewers to beat the Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks were having fun with the perceived lack of respect, most of them going along with the questions they were asked. But they also seemed to understand that a club that lost 92 and 97 games in the past two years, respectively, doesn't become a postseason favorite overnight, even after winning 94 games.

"I said during the season that I'm sure when we make the playoffs, we'll be the team everyone supposedly wants to play," center fielder Chris Young said. "I don't hear teams saying that, but it's understandable. Anytime a team goes from last place to first place they're the underdog."

Said right fielder Justin Upton: "We're just a bunch of guys that nobody's ever heard about. In Arizona, still nobody has ever heard of us. We're just here to play a baseball game, man. That's just our stance on it. We're not Derek Jeters or A-Rods. We don't have any of those here."

On paper, at least, the matchup looks intriguing. The Diamondbacks were fourth in the league in runs per game; the Brewers were fifth. The Brewers were seventh in ERA; the Diamondbacks were ninth.

Both teams have deep lineups, power and speed, solid rotations, strong bullpens. They both have rookie managers. Neither club has much postseason experience.

And where the Diamondbacks are best at coming back, the Brewers excel at protecting leads.

"When we go to our bullpen, I don't expect a run to be given up," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke, whose team didn't lose a game it led after seven innings the entire second half. "It's not fair, but I've seen it so long that's what I expect."

But the Diamondbacks registered a major-league-leading 48 come-from-behind wins, many times rallying from down three, four or more runs.

"That's something that I saw in myself as a player and fortunately this team is much the same," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. "It gives us a chance. We'll play to the end."

The Brewers pulled the first surprise of the series on Friday afternoon, naming right-hander Zack Greinke their starter for Game 2 on Sunday. Greinke will be pitching on short rest after throwing 74 pitches on Wednesday.

Greinke, who will match up against Diamondbacks right-hander Daniel Hudson, has pitched much better at home (3.13 ERA) than on the road (4.70) this season. That pushes right-hander Shaun Marcum to Game 3. The Diamondbacks haven't announced a Game 3 starter.